Charles w



(No Model.)

0, W. BEOANNON. ADJUST-ABLE BOOK REST OR SUPPORT.

No. 446,278. v PatentedPeb. 10, 1891.

' ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES ATENT QFFICE.

CHARLES \V. BECANNON, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

ADJUSTABLE BOOK RE ST OR SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 446,278,dated February 10, 1891.

Application filed February 11, 1890. Serial No. 340062. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. BECAN NON, of New-York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Adjustable Book Rest or Support, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the upper surface of my new and improved book rest or support. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the under surface of the support, the parts being in folded position. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the book-support in position for use. Fig. 4 shows a modification of the foot or base piece; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the leaf-holder removed.

The invention will first be described in connection with the drawings, and then pointed out in the claims.

A represents the support proper, provided with a foot-piece 13, attached by hinges a to one edge of the support A. The lower edge of the said support adjacent to the hinges a is provided with a cleat or ledge A, which serves as a step to hold the book from sliding down on the support A when set at an angle by one or the other of the triangular bails C C C hinged to the back or lower surface of the support. The said bails O O C are preferably of wire held in the staples c o, and are of varying sizes, as shown, so that the angle or pitch of the support may be adjusted to suit the reader. If it should be convenient to hold the book nearly upright, the largest bail G will be used. If, on the contrary, it be most convenient to hold it nearly flat, the smallest bail C will be used; and if it be required to hold the book at an intermediate slant or angle, the bail O willbe used, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. When not in use, the said bails will be held flat against the under surface of the support A by the pivoted buttons 1); but when either is in use it is swung out to the point of the base or foot-piece B, where it engages a notch 0 in which it is retained by the holder 0, which 'is by preference a spring free at one end to facilitate the ready placing of the bail in position and detachment of it from the holder. The foot-piece or base 13 is by preference V- shaped, and is composed of the members 01 (Z,

united at an angle, as shown in Fig. 2; but

in some cases I may also use brace-pieces (1 d as shown in Fig. 4, and in this latter case I may use two or more holders 0 0 0 like the holder 0, the latter two of which are attached to the brace d.

WVhere the foot-piece or base B is folded against the bottom surface of the support A and bails O O 0 it is secured in that position by the button d so that the whole device may be held in flat form to occupy small space, and it may be hung up by the chain N.

B is a covering of felt or other soft material applied to the lower surface of the footpiece, so that the support may be placed upon any article of furniture without marring or scratching it.

The book when placed on the support is held open by the leaf-holder D, comprising the spring-bow f, bolt f, side spring-armsf f swiveled to the end of the bow f by the attached sleeves f the former being held to turn on the bow f between the small collars '5 'i. The bolt f is adaptedto be screwed into a collar 13, said collar being designed to enter a socket g in the center of the ledge A, where it may be firmly secured by the setscrew 7t. By using the collar the leaf-holder is free to be turned in either or the bolt f as a pivot, and by loosening the set-screw the leaf-holder and collar may be readily removed from the socket.

\Vhen the device is used as a Writing desk or table the leaf-holder will be removed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The support A, formed or provided with the flange or ledge A and provided with the hinged foot-piece B, having a holder 0, in combination with the triangular bails O 0 C of different sizes, hinged to the back of the support, substantially as described.

2. The support A, having a flange or cleat .A', formed with a socket in which is fitted a collar 1), in combination with the leaf-holder comprising the spring-bow f, bolt f at one end thereof, and the side spring-arms f f swiveled to the upper end of the said how, substantially as described.

CHARLES W. BECANNON.

Witnesses:

FRANK E. THOMPSON, H. A. WEsT. 

